Insights, such as customized reports, views, or analyses about particular items (e.g, products, employees) in a database, are powerful tools for business managers. However, conventional approaches to generating and displaying insights are deficient in many respects. For example, creating insights from a static report requires a manager to extract data elements from the report, often manually, and input those elements into an insight generation tool. Such a process is slow, tedious, and requires substantial know-how.
Parameterized reports, while being able to analyze database items to a certain extent, also have drawbacks. For example, the manager must know where the reports are located, what reports are available, and which of several reports is the most appropriate for the manager's intended purpose. Search engines are available, but until a parameterized report is generated by specifying a parameter, it does not yet have any content to enable searching.
Ad hoc tools exist to query a database, extract data elements, and provide any desired type of analysis. However, such tools require precise knowledge about the location and structure of the database and the type of analysis desired. Again, this is a slow and time-consuming process that requires a high degree of expertise.
Ideally, managers should be able to find insights without having to perform the analysis themselves. Likewise, managers should be able to create insights without massive generation of reports or even knowing the location and name of the report. However, no currently available system addresses these concerns.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Embodiments are directed to computer-implemented methods, system, and computer program products that are arranged to perform the actions of: registering one or more searchable items in a database with one or more item classes, where each item class is associated with at least one insight pertaining to items registered to that item class; receiving a user-specified search term and item class; listing one or more items of the specified item class within the database having names that potentially match the search term; in response to receiving the item class, automatically revealing one or more insights associated with the specified item class; obtaining a user selection of a listed item and one or more of the revealed insights; and materializing the one or more selected insights using the selected item. Other embodiments may also include the steps of: identifying the item class associated with an item, and automatically revealing one or more insights associated with the specified item class in response to the identification of the item class.
These and other features and advantages will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory only and are not restrictive of aspects as claimed.